Pistons should play 'D' to honor legacies of former coach Chuck Daly, owner Bill Davidson

AUBURN HILLS -- A link to the Detroit Pistons' past and a key to the immediate future can be found in the smallest letters on their shiny new uniforms.

Something about Ben Wallace being back in the familiar colors seems right, too.

A patch on the front of the jersey has the initials of former coach Chuck Daly, who died in May, leaving behind a rich basketball legacy that included two championships with the Pistons in 1989 and '90 when the Pistons were the best defensive basketball team in the land.

Across the back collar of the new jersey the late owner, Bill Davidson, is memorialized in the phrase "Mr. D." His legacy is in hiring the right people and letting them get to work. Work in basketball around Detroit always has meant defense.

AP File PhotoOne way the Detroit Pistons can honor former coach Chuck Daly, above, who died in May, is to place a greater emphasis on defense. The Pistons can honor Daly and Davidson best and help themselves this year best by playing defense. "Play D" should be the mantra as training camp opens today at the Pistons' practice facility behind The Palace of Auburn Hills.

Wallace, the defensive heart of the 2004 NBA title team for Detroit, said it's a great feeling to be back in town, and he has no idea what to expect.

"No expectations, no personal goals, just here to play basketball," he said.

Wallace also knows something else, though.

"If you want to win ballgames, you are going to have to play defense," he said. "Every team in this league can score. It's a matter of who gets the most stops on any given night."

Wallace, a five-thumbs guy as a shooter, clearly is not here to put the ball in the hole. He is around to help as a reserve big body and simply rub off on the news guys at the defensive end.

Now, for the rest of the team. The roster clearly has enough scorers, from the return of the top scorers in recent years, Richard Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince, to the free-agent acquisition of former Chicago shooting star Ben Gordon. Newcomer Charlie Villanueva, a fourth-year NBA forward, is not exactly known as a defensive stopper, either.

"A lot of people will recognize we have some guys who can put the ball in the hole, but we also have some guys who can play defense, and we don't want to understate that," said new coach John Kuester, an assistant to Larry Brown on the 2004 NBA champion Pistons.

"We want to make it a team concept defensively and strike a balance with offense."

The Pistons were not a bad defensive team last year. They were eighth in points allowed per game and eighth in shooting percentage allowed in the 32-team NBA.

They were 30th in points scored per game, though. They scored 94.2 points per game and allowed 94.7. Do the math. Allowing 94.7 isn't bad, unless your team only scores 94.2.

Gordon and Villanueva should help in the scoring area. The plan is to run the floor more and take advantage of the scorers. Of course, to run, it takes defensive stops to produce rebounds, and rebounds to run. Which brings it back to the defensive end.

If this patchwork Detroit team of veterans and newcomers hopes to improve on last year's fadeaway team and be the kind of team Detroit is used to having, then defense has to be central to the plan.

"I think the game has changed a lot since 2004, but I still think defense wins games when it comes down to crunch time in the playoffs," Prince said. "I'm pretty sure coach and the team knows we can score. But it will really be important for us to play defense and rebound. Defense and rebounding are huge."